A reread, given a vacation close to Chesil Beach. Very little of the action takes place in said location, but its otherworldliness — its remoteness, its seemingly unending length — adds to the atmosphere of this short but devastating work. At its heart is the honeymoon night of a young couple, both of whom have different hopes and expectations, but are unable to convey them effectively to the other. What starts out optimistically metastasizes very quickly into a major row (and eventual divorce). The reader can appreciate the poignancy — the ‘if-only’ nature of the circumstances — but McEwan's work is also a relevant commentary on the early 1960s; clearly a different era beyond the war but before the sexual revolution.
By Ian McEwan